All 'foreign forces' to leave Syria, Putin tells Assad

[Swordsmyth]

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Thursday that "foreign armed forces" would leave Syria, according to Syria's state-run news agency, SANA.Assad was on a surprise visit to Russia. He and his counterpart hailed the beginning of the "political process" in Syria amid an ongoing "fight against terrorism."

"We presume that, in connection with the significant victories and success of the Syrian army in the fight against terrorism, with the onset of a more active part, with the onset of the political process in its more active phase, foreign armed forces will be withdrawn from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic," Putin said after Thursday's meeting.

More at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/middl...-+Top+Stories)

[goldenequity]

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Thursday that "foreign armed forces" would leave Syria, according to Syria's state-run news agency, SANA.Assad was on a surprise visit to Russia. He and his counterpart hailed the beginning of the "political process" in Syria amid an ongoing "fight against terrorism."

"We presume that, in connection with the significant victories and success of the Syrian army in the fight against terrorism, with the onset of a more active part, with the onset of the political process in its more active phase, foreign armed forces will be withdrawn from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic," Putin said after Thursday's meeting.

More at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/middl...-+Top+Stories)

I'm going to presume that this is an overture to the US & Israel
offering the withdrawal of Iranian backed militias and Hezbollah
in a quid pro quo for Trump to fulfill his earlier expressed 'desire' to remove US & Coalition forces...
and
w/o requiring Syrian 'political' settlement through Geneva.
I also presume this would include Turkish forces.

It would be a miracle.

[dannno]

I'm going to presume that this is an overture to the US & Israel
offering the withdrawal of Iranian backed militias and Hezbollah
in a quid pro quo for Trump to fulfill his earlier expressed 'desire' to remove US & Coalition forces...
and
w/o requiring Syrian 'political' settlement through Geneva.
I also presume this would include Turkish forces.

It would be a miracle.

[Swordsmyth]

[Zippyjuan]

Two years ago: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...-idUSKCN0WG23C

Putin says Russians to start withdrawing from Syria, as peace talks resume

MOSCOW/GENEVA (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin announced out of the blue on Monday that “the main part” of Russian armed forces in Syria would start to withdraw, telling his diplomats to step up the push for peace as U.N.-mediated talks resumed on ending the five-year-old war.

Damascus rejected any suggestion of a rift with Moscow, saying President Bashar al-Assad had agreed on the “reduction” of Russian forces in a telephone call with Putin.

Western diplomats speculated that Putin may be trying to press Assad into accepting a political settlement to the war, which has killed 250,000 people, although U.S. officials saw no sign yet of Russian forces preparing to pull out.

The anti-Assad opposition expressed bafflement, with a spokesman saying, “Nobody knows what is in Putin’s mind”.

Russia’s military intervention in Syria in September helped to turn the tide of war in Assad’s favor after months of gains in western Syria by rebel fighters, who were aided by foreign military supplies including U.S.-made anti-tank missiles.

Putin made his surprise announcement, that came with no advance word to the United States, at a meeting with his defense and foreign ministers.

Russian forces had largely fulfilled their objectives in Syria, Putin said. But he gave no deadline for the completion of the withdrawal and said forces would remain at a seaport and airbase in Syria’s Latakia province.

[goldenequity]

Two years ago: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...-idUSKCN0WG23C

You keep bringing this same link up again. Your point is always the same: Russia never left,
they DID however drawdown and remove troops and aircraft.
It was not reciprocated.
Then, as now, I offered the explanation that it was a diplomatic gesture toward reciprocal de-escalation... making the 'first move' as it were.
The US never took the hint... so the gesture was rendered moot.
Once again, per the OP, it would seem Putin is once again offering the occupiers the option to gracefully GTFO
and avoid the looming, inevitable showdown in the Euphrates valley.
Blessed are the peacemakers. They are trying once again. It usually doesn't work with the arrogant and overconfident.

[Zippyjuan]

You keep bringing this same link up again. Your point is always the same: Russia never left,
they DID however drawdown and remove troops and aircraft.
It was not reciprocated.
Then, as now, I offered the explanation that it was a diplomatic gesture toward reciprocal de-escalation... making the 'first move' as it were.
The US never took the hint... so the gesture was rendered moot.
Once again, per the OP, it would seem Putin is once again offering the occupiers the option to gracefully GTFO
and avoid the looming, inevitable showdown in the Euphrates valley.
Blessed are the peacemakers. They are trying once again. It usually doesn't work with the arrogant and overconfident.

Like America in Afghanistan and Iran, Russia has been "in the process" of leaving for several years now. Peace is right around the corner. Or maybe the next corner. Every year he says he is withdrawing his troops from Syria.

More of their "drawdown" from just a few days ago: http://tass.com/defense/1004567

Putin: Ships armed with Kalibr missiles to be permanently on duty in Mediterranean

Russian naval ships armed with cruise missiles Kalibr will be permanently on duty in the Mediterranean, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his opening remarks at a meeting with top officials of the Defense Ministry and defense-industrial complex on Wednesday.

"A total of 102 voyages by surface ships and submarines are scheduled for this year. As the risk of attacks by international terrorists in Syria remains our ships armed with cruise missiles will be permanently on duty in the Mediterranean," he said.